The bagels’ new boss in Hewlett

Randy Rosner brings healthy beverage choices to the Five Towns

Randy Rosner mixes kale, green apples, celery and lemons together to make a delicious and nutritious juices for the Bagel Boss clientele.

Tyler Marko/Herald

By Tyler Marko

Regulars at Bagel Boss on Peninsula Boulevard in Hewlett may have noticed a different face behind the counter while ordering their food. Randy Rosner is now managing the location from his brother Adam three months ago, so Adam could focus on opening a new Bagel Boss location in Flushing.

Rosner had worked at the Hewlett store before opening the Manhattan store. His son, Donald, succeeded him at the city location when returned to the Five Towns store. Bagel Boss has expanded its menu to include smoothies and acai bowls, and now thanks to two new juicers, fresh orange and vegetable juices. “They’re very popular in Manhattan,” Rosner said. “I’m trying to bring that trend out to Long Island … We’re always trying to stay on the healthy food side.”

Orange juices are available in eight-, 16- and 32-ounce sizes, and are naturally sweet without any sugar being added. The secret is that they use oranges from California, Rosner said. They had originally used Florida oranges, but they he said that they weren’t ripe yet, so while it costs more to fly the fruit across the county, you can taste the difference in the juice, he said.

Rosner said that the green juice is his favorite new item. It takes multiple trips from the vegetable station to the juicer to mix the kale, celery, apples and lemons, but the result is vitamin-rich and the fruit flavors overpower the vegetables. “I drink one every morning,” he said. “It’s really good, helps you get going.”

Gavin Sobratie has worked at various Bagel Boss locations through the past five years, and he likes that they’ve expanded their menu. “I think it’s a good idea,” Sobratie said. “Most people want to try to eat healthy.”

Rosner said that they want people to be able to eat at Bagel Boss every day without getting tired of one thing. “Years ago when we were just bagels and cream cheese, we thought, ‘what can we do to keep from losing people to another store,’” he said. “So we started baking our own muffins, then we started baking our own pastries. Then for lunch, instead of people having a bagel sandwich we add our chopped salad stations. We just keep building off it and giving people different options.”

Bagel Boss opens daily at 5 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and at 5 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. And with the ever-growing menu, there are options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.